Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-26

the desert without moving it single
inch. All along the southern shores OF
| the Mediterranean, and all around the
Caspian sea, the deserAhave even gained
on the crowded masses and have driven
their lines backward. But need we 90
east for history? San Antonio has been
settled well nigh two centuries, and has
only slight increase of rainfall, which
! is produced by light increase IN the
growth of mesquite timber. If settle.
ment produces rain, then Santa Fe, Chi
huahua and FL Paso, being much older
than the greater part of the United States,
and being settled so long SIS to count
their ages by the century, ought to be
flooded and overlooking with rain like
unto the valley of the Amazon, whereas
we find not the slightest increase is per.
ceptlbie. We need neither science nor
history to refute the doctrine that West
Texas will be like Middle and East
| Texas as soon as Well set
tied, for Nature herself, with
| patient and irresistible logic, has
established the contrary, and has msrked
with immense strokes the very line where
tae permanent change sets in. When the
first Spaniard fessted his eyes on the
that east of the ninety-ninth parallel
coarse prairie grass grew luXurlantly,
While west the small mesquite grass
grew. rnel as now the rainfall was less
west than east from said line; and the
present great drouth, true to its ancient
hauntS, followed almost to the very line
Of the two grasses. 1t is not pleasant to
disturb this pleasing theory, nor would l.,
were it not for the fact that we arc found
ing settlement and law upon an errone-
GUS theory, and if we continue to build
thereon continued disaster like the pres
ent will necessarily follow. Let US know
the whole truth, and not hug fatal delu-
sion to our bosoms. A few years ago
when the grand disposition Of lands was
going on, the large cattlemen and the
railroads united in one grand voice in,
saying that the lands of the west
were worthless, the first wishing
to perpetual!y prevent settlement,
and the latter wishing to absorb
the whole into this great corpora
ton. But as soon as the greater portion
were gone, the latter swelled the west
into magnificent grandeur, reputing it as
the richest land on earth, snd proclaim
ing that rain would follow settlement, as
matter of course. Hence, the price of
state and railroad lands went booming
high, and immigration plunged headlong
into the west; and what the result is,
thousands can now tell. The lands of the
west are not worthless, nor will rain fol-
low settlement as matter of course. 1t
is susceptible of cultivation and does
have rain. 1t is not desert, but is de-
ticient in rain. It is as rich as the ia
nous and fabulous Egypt, and fairly
teams with every element necessary for
agricultural purposes. 1t is as
healthy and as free from insects as any
country on earth, and with slight
increase of rain, would be veritable
Eden. But this slight deficiency is per-
manent and not temporary. 1t is serious,
not slight. Therefore our laws and our
conduct should all be guided by the fact
that there is now, always has been, and
will be for ages struggle for want of
rain in the west. Can our laws and our
skill overcome this evil, will be the sub
ject of our next letter.
JAMES F. CUNNINGHAM, SR.